2007

20th December 2007

2:15 PM — Nick Clegg has announced the first appointments to his frontbench team since becoming Liberal Democrat leader on Tuesday.Former leader Charles Kennedy returns to frontline politics, and in an unusual arrangement he will speak from the frontbench on Europe but not be the party's official Europe spokesman.London MP Lynne Featherstone has been appointed as the party's youth and equality spokesperson, shadowing the equality team led by Harriet Harman.

1:45 PM — Beleaguered Republican politician Larry Craig was an official guest at the White House yesterday.The Senator from Idaho, who denies he is gay despite a conviction for cruising for sex in an airport toilet, was invited to watch President Bush sign a new energy bill into law.Several other members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were also at the White House for the ceremony.

1:30 PM — Andreas Lundstedt, best known as a member of pop group Alcazar, has confirmed in an interview that he his HIV+.He told Swedish magazine QX that he tested positive for the virus several years ago.Lundstedt, 35, has been the subject of rumours and gossip about his HIV status for some years. He told the magazine that he has a less agressive strain of the virus and "I don't need to swallow masses of tablets."

12:58 PM — A grants programme worth up to £10 million aimed at funding grass roots organisations across all areas of equality was launched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission yesterday.The funding scheme has developed three areas for priority funding.Applicants from organisations working to promote good relations, highlight equality and human rights and case work will be encouraged. Examples include reducing the impact of hate crime.

12:49 PM — A leading LGBT arts organisation is facing a bleak future after its funding for next year has been cut.queerupnorth was the first queer festival and was the first of its kind in the UK and Europe and describes itself as "the most adventurous and creative queer arts cultural producer in the UK."Arts Council England has announced plans to end £98,000 of funding of queerupnorth in March 2008.

12:40 PM — While the Hungarian parliament passed new laws this week legalising same-sex civil partnerships, an opinion poll for a national newspaper found little support for the measure among the voters.The Nepszabadsag survey found that only 12 percent of Hungarians think same-sex relationships are completely normal.60 percent condemn homosexuality and a further 30 percent disapprove of gay people. The new law will apply to both heterosexual and gay and lesbian couples.

12:31 PM — For one bright, shining moment last summer, LGBT political activists had a direct impact on the 2008 presidential race in a positive way.Former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel was not deemed to be a viable Democratic Presidential candidate and therefore was not invited to participate in the historic Visible Vote '08 Presidential Forum in Los Angeles hosted by the Human Rights Campaign and broadcast on Logo.That made many LGBT activists and bloggers angry.

11:01 AM — Should the Florida constitution ban same-sex couples from marrying?That's the question that will be put before the state's voters next year, thanks to the efforts of Florida4Marriage.org, a coalition of groups led by Orlando lawyer John Stemberger.The coalition announced late last week that after three years they have succeeded in gathering the 611,009 signatures needed.

19th December 2007

5:45 PM — A new Hollywood movie, already dubbed Brokeback Prison, will see comedian Jim Carrey play a married prisoner who falls in love with another inmate, played British actor Ewan McGregorProduction is due to begin on I Love You Phillip Morris in spring.It is based on the true story of Steve Russell, a convicted conman, who fell for his cellmate, the Morris of the film's title.

5:10 PM — The chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has told PinkNews.co.uk that it will be reviewing the evidence regarding the need to criminalise incitement to hatred against trans people.The government has brought forward a new offence of incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, but said that there was insufficient evidence to extend the measure to the trans community.A meeting of the EHRC commissioners last Thursday backed the new incitement legislation.

3:40 PM — A veteran Labour MP has accused the Communities Secretary Hazel Blears of acting out of "venal and personal reasons" with regard to the merger of councils in Cheshire.In an unusual attack, Gwyneth Dunwoody said: "I have seen the crawlers. I've seen those whose sexual preferences were of interest to others."I've seen those who've demonstrated a great commitment to their own interest, irrespective of the political parties they were supposed to be representing.

2:01 PM — The city council in Rome has blocked plans for a domestic partners register for same-sex and heterosexual couples.The Vatican, which is an independent state within Italy as well as the seat of the Roman Catholic church, had vehemently opposed the measure.Rightwing groups on the council rejected the modest proposal, whereby couples could have signed a register at the city clerk's office.

1:35 PM — John Edwards, the former US Vice Presidential candidate who is seeking the Democratic party's nomination for President, said yesterday that he will end "discriminatory" policies towards gay people if elected.Speaking in New Hampshire, he pledged to try to repeal the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996, that banned the federal government from recognising gay marriages or unions and allowed states to refuse to recognise same-sex unions from other states.DOMA was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

1:05 PM — Uruguay's Congress has passed legislation to recognise same-sex civil unions.The country of 3.6m people is the first nation in South America to grant such protections, although some cities and regions throughout the continent have made similar legal provisions.The Congress last week passed legislation creating a civil union registry for same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples.

12:50 PM — International superstar Elton John and his partner, the film producer David Furnish, will be supporting the campaign of the only gay candidate for Mayor of London.Brian Paddick, a former Metropolitan police Deputy Assistant Commissioner, told LBC radio this morning of his celebrity backers.During his time at the Met Mr Paddick was the UK's most senior out gay police officer.

12:15 PM — amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, has called on policymakers to put aside their prejudices and to provide the resources and the leadership that the epidemic demands.Researchers at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US have published the results of a new study showing that in 38 low- and middle-income countries, men who have sex with men have an average 19 times greater chance of being infected with HIV than the general population.

12:10 PM — The reversal of a decision taken by BBC Radio 1 to bleep the word 'faggot' from the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl Christmas song Fairytale of New Yorkhas been attacked by a leading gay campaigner.Peter Tatchell, who leads the Stop Murder Music campaign, which targets homophobic singers who advocate the killing of gay people, said that a consistent policy was needed.BBC Radio 1 had previously decided to censor the song over concerns it may cause offence to gay people.

11:50 AM — A former children's TV personality is the latest face to join the GaydarRadio lineup.Former Blue Peter presenter Stuart Miles will host a three hour afternoon request show for the digital channel.He was one of the presenters on the BBC's flagship children's programme from 1994 to 1999.

11:40 AM — One week after requesting to meet with Governor Mike Huckabee, Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, the Human Rights Campaign and The AIDS Institute still have not heard from the Republican presidential candidate or his campaign.The meeting was called in response to Huckabee's 1992 remarks, that he has refused to repudiate, when he said people living with HIV and AIDS should have been "isolated" even after it was determined the virus was not spread through casual contact.

18th December 2007

5:46 PM — A BBC radio channel has reversed its decision to bleep out the word "faggot" from the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl Christmas song Fairytale of New York.BBC Radio 1 had previously decided to censor the song over concerns it may cause offence to gay people.But in a statement released this afternoon station controller Andy Parfitt said the decision was "wrong" and would be reversed.

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